The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Lottery Commission's collaboration to get more COVID-19 vaccinations in arms went "live" Tuesday morning.

State officials announced that www.OhioVaxaMillion.com would become active at 8 a.m.  However, the website was active before 7:30 a.m.

People can register online or by phone to win a $1 million lottery prize or college tuition by receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 'Vax-a-Million' drawing will take place for five weeks, announced consecutively on Wednesdays starting May 26th around 7:30 p.m. The remaining drawings take place June 2, June 9, June 16, and June 23. Winners will be chosen randomly by a computer.

To be eligible, those who enter must be a permanent Ohio resident and have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday before 11:59 p.m. of the week entered. 

Those who are 18 years and older are eligible for the $1 million prizes and those ages 12-17 who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can enter to win a four-year, full-ride scholarship including room and board, tuition, and books, to any Ohio state college or university.

The sweepstakes are opt-in only and will require vaccinated Ohioans to fill out a form online at www.OhioVaxaMillion.com. 

Entrants will be assigned a random number and will be randomly selected through a computer system. The winner will then be verified by the Ohio Department of Health before it's announced. 

If ODH finds the winner is ineligible, they will have alternate numbers available to choose from until there is a verified winner. 

When Ohioans register, they will be asked to sign a waiver allowing the Department of Health to verify the entrant's vaccination information, potentially requiring proof of their vaccination card. 

Once an Ohioan registers, they will be kept in the system and eligible for all remaining drawings. 
 
Ohioans do not need to be a registered voter to enter.
 
Winners will be announced publically and cannot remain anonymous. They will be contacted by state officials. Taxes will be deducted out of the $1 million cash prize. 
 
The drawings will be administered by the Ohio Department of Health, with technical assistance from the Ohio Lottery Commission, and will be funded through existing allocations to the Ohio Department of Health of unexpended coronavirus relief funds.

The lottery will be monitored and reviewed by the ODH, Ohio Lottery Commission, and the State Auditor's Office. 

Ohioans can also call 1-833-4ASK-ODH to register.